Drew Storen recorded a big out of David Wright during yesterday's win.

NEW YORK — Davey Johnson has tried his best to ease Drew Storen back from elbow surgery, not wanting to put too much on the right-hander too soon.

But during this week's series against the Mets, the Nationals manager found himself needing a quality reliever to face the red-hot David Wright in a couple of key spots. So the call was made to Storen, who may not be throwing many pitches right now but is certainly throwing important pitches.

Storen threw only six total pitches in the series. All were to Wright during two encounters. And each time, the young reliever retired the New York slugger.

"No better way to get yourself in shape than to face a guy like that, especially in big spots," he said. "Like I said the other day, just kind of keep adding the pressure of facing the same guy. It's pretty fun, to beRead more »

Glad that Storen is working his way back. We can always use another arm in the bullpen. Regarding Hrod, we've carried him on the team this far, so we might as well keep him on the roster the rest of the year. Hopefully, they only put him in games where we're leading by 7 runs or more. Seriously, 7 runs, so even if he gives up, say 4, we can bring in someone to possible get a save. Anyway, lets go up 20 games over .500 tonight, and GYFNG!!!!

Burnett has been awfully good — good enough to get a lifetime invitation to any reunions — but having Storen to pitch to tough right-handed hitters is an enormous plus. Johnson is now able to match up R/L much more than before.

If Storen comes back to form within the next couple of weeks, they are going to have to send Mattheus down, because never mind Henry, they have to have a place for CMW. If CMW makes a good ML start, then he pitches the doubleheader instead of Lannan, and he has to stay in the bullpen, I guess. If CMW is hopeless then you HAVE to DFA him and see if he clears waivers. If someone wants to pick him up, then you have the ten days to decide about a trade.I'm ok with sending Mattheus down, I think he's close to being overused and he'll be back to help in September. Here is my pitching staff for the playoffs:Starters———GioJZEJaxDet/CMWBullpen——-Clippard/Storen/Burnett/M. Gonzalez – late inningsStammen/Gorzalanny – middle reliefHenry – sittin' aroundThat's a 13-person staff. I can't imagine Davey going with that. IMO, something will happen, maybe M. Gonzalez is out of the picture, though Davey does love his lefties.In order for that to work, they will have to shut Stras down on August 31, or he will be on the 25-man in September. I don't know if his rehab from TJ counts as an "injury," but I suspect not.

You sneaky Davey! What a diabolical plan to help Drew get his edge while not using him too much! I love it! Makes me see how truly tactical he is being, trying to help Henry.And swami, I smiled at that same quote. What a terrific kid is our Drew!And tonight, we might see Livo in the pen. I love him and I hope we hit everyone so hard, it won't matter if he comes out to pitch, so maybe we can let him have some clean innings. Not at the expense of a win, for sure. GYFNG! ANd thank you Davey for being so smart about lots of things, Drew being just an example.

It's really great hearing Davey talk about his in-game stuff. Not only a smart man, but a man with great ballplayer managing instincts. The SP has been great, but this guy has kept this team in 1st, inspite of his LFer, RFer, SS, 3B, Cer, all spending significant amounts of time on the DL.Not to mention losing the team's top closer for most of the season.

This article is a must read, especially if your an ex-Mets fan like me who remember Davey 1.0http://espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/story/_/id/8200313/bryce-harper-stephen-strasburg-bring-back-memories-former-new-york-mets-manager-davey-johnson

So, bottom line on Stras is, all this talk of saving his innings so he can pitch into September is smoke. Use up his innings–carefully–in August to pile up that double-digit division lead. Tear the ball out of his hands on August 31, and make sure he gets a ring even if the Lerners have to pay for it out of their own pocket.

NL- We discussed the playoff roster issue a few days ago and like you I thought that the deadline might have an impact on when Strasburg is shut down and whether he remains on the roster in September to pinch hit (kidding, well maybe not) and enjoy Gio's company. I was assured by Feel Wood that Rizzo has ways to deal with this that would not require Strasburg to be removed from the 25 man come August 31 either through the DL or sending him (figuratively) to Syracuse. I'm hoping that Mark will investigate and write a post at some point to clarify all this. As for the pitching staff, I'm expecting an 11 or even 10 man staff. Just as off days make it unnecessary to carry 5 starters, they reduce the number of relievers needed. And as Theo pointed out this morning, if we make it to the WS, we'll need a DH for up to three (ha ha!) games. That makes the bench guys even more important.

Tcostant – I was a big-time Mets fan for a long time, and I have great memories of Davey 1.0. I've been in the tank for him for a long time. He'll be in the HoF one day for his managing.As the article points out (a great read) — Strasburg and Gooden are benefiting immensely by being managed by a guy who managed Strawberry and Gooden. Both of those latter guys were great, but never reached their full potential. Davey knows what to do, and what not to do, with our current wunderkinds. I'm sure that nobody on the planet wants to protect Stras's arm by shutting him down this year more than Davey.

To be eligible for a team’s playoff roster a player must be on either a)the 25 man active roster, b)the disabled list, c)the bereavement list, d)the suspended list as of August 31st at midnight. If an eligible player is injured and unable to play a club can call up any player in the organization regardless of their roster status* provided that the replacement player plays the same position (position player for position player and pitcher for pitcher), the replacement player was in the organization as of the August 31st deadline and they finished the season in the organization, and they receive approval from the commissioner.

222, I must have been working (I do that sometimes) because I missed the roster discussion, sorry for reintroducing a topic that had already been thrashed out. It's SO fun that this is actually an issue!

Background on LaRoche's homer:Prior to allowing the homer, Byrdak wanted to throw a 2-2 curveball, but Thole was told to call for a fastball from the bench. Byrdak shook Thole off twice, but the catcher continued to put down the sign for a fastball.Byrdak threw the fastball. Unfortunately, it was right down the heart of the plate — instead of outside where Thole was set up — and LaRoche drilled it deep into the right-field seats for his 18th homer of the season to give the Nationals a 5-1 lead.Byrdak appeared to gesture toward Thole and say something after the ball was hit. He was pulled from the game after the homer, and the two proceeded to have a conversation in the dugout. Byrdak thought it was Thole's call, but once he learned it came from the bench, he turned his ire toward pitching coach Dan Warthen and the two proceeded to having a jawing match of their own.Ughh. I hate when that happens.

Did a little research on the playoff roster thing. Turns out it's complicated, and the actual rules are not really laid out publicly. But the net effect is that there are ways to get virtually anyone in the organization on the roster for a playoff series if you want to. The injury loophole is the mechanism, and it works like this: On Aug 31st the playoff eligibility pool is established as the 25 man roster + DL + bereavement list + suspended list. At the beginning of each playoff series, an active roster is declared for that series out of the players in the eligibility pool. But if any player in the eligibility pool is injured at that time, then their spot in the eligibility pool can be filled by any other player in the organization BEFORE the active roster is named. (Although a roster move is required if the substitute is not on the 40 man roster.) The DL list on Aug 31st includes both 15 day and 60 day DLs. So for the Nats, Ramos and Kimball who are on the 60 day DL will still be injured at the start of a playoff series, and possibly any player who was on the 15 day DL on Aug 31st. So there are at least two spots on the eligibility list that will be available for anyone like Moore, Brown, Mattheus, etc who might happen to be optioned to AAA on Aug 31st. Bottom line, you guys need to quit kvetching about this topic. Rizzo knows the rules, and he will do what needs to be done.

No apologies needed. The discussion was inconclusive. Alexva correctly states the rule, but how that applies to Stras's situation I'm still not sure. The issue of course, is not whether he will be eligible, but whether he will take up a spot that someone else should have becuase he's not going to play. I'm hoping Mark picks up the baton.

Not Mark but my take – it would seem to me that once he reaches his limit, he is sent to the DL. Given the circumstances I cannot see how that would not be approved. He is then replaced with another pitcher ie John Lannan. If they choose a position player then approval would be needed.

Thanks Feel (except for the condescending admonition to quit kvetching — isn't that what we do for most of the day here?). So I gather what you're saying is that if Stras stays on the 25 man into September, his spot on the actual playoff roster (as opposed to the playoff eligible roster) can be taken initially by Ramos. Then Ramos can be replaced by anyone, and voila, Davey has his hairy chested guy sitting next to him on the bench instead of Stras. Furthermore, using guys who are on the DL as placeholders right before the World Series, Rizzo can also substitute Brown or another DH possibility, for a pitcher if he wants to. Clever.Just FYI, I assume that many commenters here are like me. I'm not worried about Davey and Rizzo figuring things out. I just like to understand the rules and be able to follow how they do what they do, and every now and then be able to anticipate or predict so people think I'm smart. .

I saw that "discussion". Pitcher has ultimate responsibility for the pitch he throws and for the location. Infighting just makes things worse. In the case of the Mets- fine with me. As for people who always get along with their colleagues? I guess Hanley can only produce for teams that win and have fans in the seats. Otherwise he is just too depressed.

NatsLady said… So, bottom line on Stras is, all this talk of saving his innings so he can pitch into September is smoke. Use up his innings–carefully–in August to pile up that double-digit division lead. Tear the ball out of his hands on August 31, and make sure he gets a ring even if the Lerners have to pay for it out of their own pocket.While it used to be only players on the post-season roster got the rings, now its become tradition that any player who was on the 25 man roster at any point in the season (Lidge, Ankiel, Nady) get a ring as they contributed although its no longer a freebie as IRS requires witholding tax the FMV of the ring since the value is like a cash bonus.The players share of the post-season cash is a different story as the players vote how to split it up and would almost certainly include Stras.http://www.nbcdfw.com/blogs/red-fever/Former-Ranger-to-Get-a-World-Series-Ring-No-Matter-Who-Wins-132186398.html

alexva said… Not Mark but my take – it would seem to me that once he reaches his limit, he is sent to the DL.If he reaches the limit before Aug 31st, they probably would DL him to open up yet another injury slot on the playoff eligibility list. But if he pitches into September (which he surely will) then there's no need to DL him because there's nothing to be gained by it. He sits on the expanded roster for the rest of September like JZimm did last year, and he sits on the playoff eligibility list while Kimball being on the 60 day DL provides the opening for them to add another pitcher if desired. (And it appears to be a gray area on how much that pitcher-for-pitcher, position player-for-position player rule is actually enforced.) Lannan or Wang or whoever replaces Strasburg in the rotation after he is shut down in September would not be on the playoff eligibility list, but they don't need to be since only four starters are needed in the playoffs. And they remain available as replacements in case any of the top four guys gets hurt.

I thought calling pitches from the dugout was verboten in the majors. And it's not as if Thole and ALR never saw each other before. Why would they undercut the pitcher/catcher relationship like that? Seems to me if Byrdak didn't feel his fastball was working, and he communicated that to Thole by shaking off the sign, then you have to go with it. So my inclination is to go with Byrdak. OTOH, if he just got mad and laced one because he didn't like Thole's insistence, then he should be fined bigtime.

I still think Henry has pain somewhere in his right arm/shoulder (wink/wink) and goes to the DL when both Werth and CTracy are ready to return and the other move will be sending Corey Brown back to Syracuse.In September, both players will be back as rosters expand and Henry will probably sit like Livan did last year.Davey says all the right things about Henry but he isn't a stupid man, and Henry really made himself look bad and his Manager. Read Kilgore's article from last night on Henry. Davey knows Henry has to carry his weight out there but Davey had a safety net yesterday afternoon as Stammen was semi-loose. Davey had seen enough after the Thole 4 pitch walk. Unfortunately Stammen wasn't ready when Davey put up his right arm to summon him in. Luckily Burnie and Drew got it done! Both of them executed perfectly and Drew also used his noggin on pitching to Wright. If DWright went Valdespain on Storen, I don't think NatsTown would be too happy right now.The good guys won and the Nats are on a legit streak right now. Even Mick seems happy!

I'm pretty sure rings are paid for by ownership. Players vote shares of the winner's/loser's pot of playoff swag. (In the pre-playoff days, even the fourth place team got a share of the post-season take. Not sure whether any non-playoff teams now participate. I'd imagine at least 35 Nats — plus coaches — would get full or close-to-full shares. Even Nady won a couple of games for them. Now that the playoff pot is so much smaller relative to average salaries, I think the tendency is toward generosity.

Re the Byrdak-Thole-Warthen tiff (which was also all over Quick Pitch last night and this morning), it sort of looks like the ol' Crash-Nuke "can you believe this, he's shakin' me off!" In this case, "can you believe it, this guy blew the game in the 10th on Tuesday, he's got a 4.28 ERA and he's shaking me off?!!"Only I doubt Thole would tip off LaRoche with the HP ump standing there listening.

Theophilus T. S. said… I'm pretty sure rings are paid for by ownership.I think that is correct and the generosity can go very far to front office employees, corporate partners, and top spenders. Some of the rings may be made of cubic zirconia's but to be included is amazing.When the Angels won their World Series, my neighbor, who is a President of a large company that was a corporate advertiser, got a WS Ring with his name on it and has since collected rings with the Lakers and this year will be presented with one from the LA Kings.So even if you don't play for the Nats, time to spend a boatload of money and maybe they will get you with a ring!

Back to Storen: Looked to me, during the post-game interviews, that he's a little thicker around the face and throat than he was a few months ago. Anyone know if that's evidence of lots of time in the workout room during his recovery from surgery? Or is it evidence of lots of time at the buffet table?Or am I crazy and he's looked like that all along?

Candide, one comment, At the beginning of the year Storen had the scruffy beard and sad mullett. That may have covered up or distracted from any of us knowing if he bulked up or beefed up.I guess I can do the Craig Stammen Booty test the next time he is out on the mound to see if he bulked up.

Storen has always had the baby face/baby fat thing going, which together with the blond peach fuzz makes it hard for him to come up with the menacing closer look. He also got a serious hair trim, which means there's less of that framing his face now so it probably looks bigger. No matter what he does, he's probably going to look like Todd "Manssiere or Bro?" Coffey in five or ten years. But if he can still throw, it won't matter.

Good point Ghost on Davey and H-Rod. He's a master at handling and motivating players and also a master at dissembling when it serves the team's purpose. One way or the other, I'm not expecting H-Rod to be in the bullpen in October. It's July 26, we're discussing World Series rings. Wow!

The Brewers announced this morning that Zack Greinke will be traded before the July 31 trade deadline. The Nationals are shown to have "some" interest but I think they may end up trying to get him if for nothing else to keep him away from the Braves, who lost out on Ryan Dempster earlier in the week. It would take a Gio Gonzalez-type haul to get Greinke, that's for sure. And though I don't think the Nationals "need" him, they need to keep him away from Atlanta.So what would it take to get Greinke?They are asking for a shortstop. How about Jason Martinson, .263-19-94 at Class A this year.A starting pitcher is always good. Alex Meyer is looking great this year, going 8-4, 2.74, 10.7 k's per 9 at both Hagerstown and Potomac. With Strasburg, Zimmermann, Gio, Detwiler and Geinke in the rotation, I don't think they will miss Meyer. John Lannan. He will provide a stable arm in their rotation through next season. David Freitas (.270/.380/.407 with Potomac) is a Nick Johnson type of hitter, plus power and a great eye. The Nationals are still stocked with catchers and wouldn't miss him. The Nats could afford to throw in another non-prime prospect as well.This would only work for me if they can sign Greinke to a long-term contract before a deal is done. If it's truly only a summer rental, I would't give up half of those players for him. Farid @ Idaho

It would take a Gio Gonzalez-type haul to get Greinke, that's for sure. And though I don't think the Nationals "need" him, they need to keep him away from Atlanta.No they don't. Just like they didn't need to keep Philly from extending Hamels. Making moves – especially expensive moves – solely to prevent a rival from making them is a sure way to destroy a team.

Feel Wood said…It would take a Gio Gonzalez-type haul to get Greinke, that's for sure. And though I don't think the Nationals "need" him, they need to keep him away from Atlanta.No they don't. Just like they didn't need to keep Philly from extending Hamels. Making moves – especially expensive moves – solely to prevent a rival from making them is a sure way to destroy a team.July 26, 2012 2:56 PM————————-AMEN!!!!! I hate that greedy, dog in the manger crap! Make any move you can to improve your team, but when you start giving up prospects for players you don't need, just to keep them off a team you're already better than, you'll likely wind up with lousy chemistry, AND a bare cupboard.. Prospects are the Coin of the Realm… Save them for stuff you need…. (bunch of nonsense…)

Ready and waiting to get blasted for hopeless optimism on CMW based on one mediocre and one good start in the minors…INCONSISTENT as Henry the difference is you can't HIT HENRY he just walks batters and throws wild pitches when he isn't on. This guy throws under 90 and his sinker comes up AND boom he gets shelled!Its Wang's inconsistency that is the problem. He can't consistently throw 93-94 for 6+ innings. He has NO OTHER pitch beside the power sinker? What does he do when his sinker isn't working? He gets smashed.He needs to get that sinker working so every time he goes out in H'burg or Syracuse it shuts them down … consistently … then and only then …

The Nationals are shown to have "some" interest but I think they may end up trying to get him if for nothing else to keep him away from the Braves, who lost out on Ryan Dempster earlier in the week.Only if he agrees to sign an extension. Otherwise. Might be worth it if the Brewers take Wang, Lannan, they would probably want Zach Walters not Martinson. But you never know. No way they trade Freitas. They have in one season gone from catching rich to just on the slippery slope edge of things.

If you've got another, better name to trade, let's hear it. Keep the red herrings in the freezer, and off the thread.Most teams like young … Tampa might be interested in Morse particularly if they decide to trade Price for Borjous and Conger. It means they are dispensing with Upton. Morse isn't young as is a defensive liability in the outfield. But not like Willingham who injured his knee yet again and had to get surgery in his last year with the Nats. The top trade chips? Easy. Storen, Brown, Lombardozzi, and Perez.

The top trade chips? Easy. Storen, Brown, Lombardozzi, and Perez.Plus any of the top five starting pitchers including EJax. Clearly Desmond and Espinosa would be tradable but they aren't going anywhere.

Okay so right now everyone is a great trade chip. Given the injuries they've suffered basically almost none are tradable. Why speculate about Morse? He is very good in the clubhouse on top of his offense. Better than Jayson Werth for that matter. If one were to choose between signing a Morse and Jayson Werth it would likely be Morse hands down.

I don't see a big trade in the offing at all for the Nats. Maybe Scutaro? maybe a veteran catcher?Scutaro would have to replace DeRosa you can't put him in AAA as they have their veteran catcher Koyie Hill. That's the guy they are going to call on and don't be surprised if he ends up on the playoff roster. They may release Maldonado (again) add him to the 40-man and call him up in September. If he impresses Davey enough?

Marco Scurao wouldn't go to AAA; he is a pretty good player and maybe an upgrade over Lombo certainly right handed.I am not sure how he fits on the roster but he would definitely be a decent fill in for all infield positions. I don't know that it's critical to get him but I think he would come fairly cheap if we are willing to pay his salary.

As far as backup catcher; I've been fairly impressed with Leon although he has had his fair share of sloppy passed balls as well. He doesn't look over matched at the plate and it's always nice to have a switch hitter. I am somewhat concerned about Flores; he is really scuffling with the bat and his throwing has been sub par as well. He does a better job with the low sliders and works well with the pitchers but his health is still not 100%.

I don't know that it's critical to get him but I think he would come fairly cheap if we are willing to pay his salary.Salary is not a problem. Its who do you trade to get him? Then, who gets bumped off the 40-man, off the active roster? Do you put Scutaro ahead of DeRosa? Surely. What does that do?

As far as backup catcher; I've been fairly impressed with Leon although he has had his fair share of sloppy passed balls as well. That's why Leon is here this year … he's discovered his bat finally although this is his first good year offensively in the minors. That's more than a bit disconcerting. Solano also took some time to discover he had a bat. But, he has been hitting well for a couple of years now. Flores continues to disappoint in that area and its likely due to fatigue relative to his serious shoulder injury and back. Its a concern if he continues to flounder. Nicols seems to think they go with Ramos at catcher after 2 knee surgeries. Not sure why they use that guy as an expert. But, surely, wheels and especially knees are critical to a catcher. That has to be a major concern for the Nats. Ramos will have to lose quite a bit of weight to manage it. If he doesn't …

@FeelWood and UnkyD — I'm with you guys. I seriously doubt that Rizzo is making his short term or long term plans for building the Nationals based on keeping pieces we may not need away from teams that do. Actually, if we had a player we didn't need long term, that's where he starts for considering what we might trade. In the long run, the best trades made are those that benefit all the teams involved.